The present invention relates to an answering system capable of recording and reproducing audio and/or visual data transmitted through a public line, a private line, or other lines, which is adopted, for example, in a telephone and a mobile communication terminal having an answering function.
Conventionally, an answering system, connected to, for example, a phone line, for recording a message from a sender (unspecified caller) in an answering machine in response to a call is widely known.
In such an answering system, an answering function is set by the owner prior to leaving, and recording is carried out automatically in response to a call from outside.
The contents of a recording can be reproduced by the owner of the answering system from a remote location by using an identification code (hereinafter referred to as ID) which has been registered beforehand. The owner of the answering system registers a specific ID beforehand by the registration method shown in FIG. 3 (a), and reproduces the contents of the recording by the reproducing method shown in FIG. 3(b). In the registration method, a specific ID is entered in Step 51, and the specific ID thus entered is registered in Step 52. In the reproducing method, the ID is entered by the owner, for example, from a remote location (Step 61), the answering system judges whether the entered ID matches the pre-registered ID (Step 62), and in the case where the entered ID matches the registered ID, the contents of the recording is reproduced (Step 63). In the case where it is judged that the entered ID does not match the registered ID, the answering system returns to a standby state (Return to Step 61).
However, the conventional answering system has such a drawback in that in the case where a call is made by an unspecified caller other than the owner, and an audio message is entered in a certain period of time in accordance with a fixed response message of the answering system, it is impossible for the unspecified caller, once the message is entered, to confirm whether the entered message has been processed by the receiver (owner). Here, by xe2x80x9cprocessedxe2x80x9d, it is meant that the receiver has reacted to the entered message, such as listening to and/or seeing the message, recording a response message, and releasing an answering mode.
Namely, in the conventional answering system, an ID is registered beforehand in the answering system by the owner, and only the owner and a person knowing the ID are allowed an access to the answering system so as to allow them to confirm whether a message has been processed. Thus, it is impossible for an unspecified caller to confirm whether the entered message has been processed indeed by a receiver, and also once a message is entered, the message cannot be corrected even when a mistake has been made in entering of the message.
It is the first object of the present invention to provide an answering system which allows an unspecified person, other than an owner of the answering system, to confirm with ease whether a message as entered by the unspecified person has been processed by the owner.
It is the second object of the present invention to provide an answering system which allows an unspecified person, other than an owner of the answering system, to correct and/or erase a message as entered by the unspecified person.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, the answering system of the present invention for recording and reproducing audio and/or visual data transmitted through a line or other transmitting paths includes confirming units for allowing an unspecified person to confirm, using an arbitrary identification code, whether audio and/or visual data sent by the unspecified person to a receiver with the arbitrary identification code such as an identification number have been processed by the receiver.
Thus, with the confirming units, it is possible for an unspecified person to confirm, using an arbitrary identification code, whether a message as entered by the unspecified person has been processed by the receiver (owner of the answering system, etc.). Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy and efficiency of information transmittance.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.